


Flower of Hell

by Purgatorhetorical



Category: The Amazing World of Gumball
Genre: Dreams, Fate & Destiny, Gay theater kids, Growing Up, Inspired by Music, Just a bunch of drama kids, M/M, Maybe read my other fics before this idk, Romantic Soulmates, Slice of Life but with cool supernatural stuff, Teen Romance, Theater kid Gumball, nobody dies in this one, wtf is going on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:35:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28851420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purgatorhetorical/pseuds/Purgatorhetorical
Summary: Their worlds are pushing them together, but why is fate so adamant on keeping them close when they absolutely despise one another?(Penny and Rachel are a background focus, the main focus is Gumball and Rob)
Relationships: Penny Fitzgerald/Rachel Wilson, Rob/Gumball Watterson
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	1. High School Expectations

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this work is slightly based on a song that I really love and was inspired by! If you're interested in the exact version, I mostly took small bits of inspiration from the Kemi Haydee Stanton cover of Naraku no Hana (original from Higurashi when they cry).
> 
> I am trying my hardest to get better at writing stories like these, and this will be my fourth attempt at a fulfilling and cool story. I hope you stick around, suggestions and comments also help me a lot!

Elmore was never a sleepy town. It seemed every time there was peace, it was quickly interrupted, and everything was thrown into chaos. The townspeople minding their own business would often be roped into the craziness that was the Elmore High schoolers, specifically young Gumball Waterson and his friends. No day was uneventful back in middle school, but now, things were starting to wind down. The poor cat had enough adventure for a lifetime in his middle school days, and each week felt a little more peaceful than the last. He went to school looking and feeling tired, always showing up with bags under his eyes, dragging his backpack around like it was full of bricks. Each day, he was greeted at the school doors by Penny, his best friend and ex lover. Darwin still followed Gumball around quite a bit, but had a lot of friends of his own, and Gumball was completely supportive. They were still the best of brothers and friends, so it wasn't like they were being split apart. High school was pretty different from middle school. One of the first things Gumball noticed was that Rob was actually around, unlike in middle school. He couldn't really tell if Rob was actually enrolled, or just liked to hang out in the halls. He never seemed to change spots, he was always leaned up against the wall near the second floor drinking fountain, a blank look in his eye as he watched students pass. Sometimes, when Gumball had to use the bathroom, he'd pass by Rob and catch him glaring. It wasn't unusual of him to give him a nasty snarl, as if he were some wild animal threatening its next prey. Gumball would scurry away, avoiding eye contact, but it did feel a little special. Rob never paid any attention to other students passing by, but that look of rage and disgust he shot at Gumball was always a little heartwarming in a strange way.

Mr Small had a brand new office, where he'd often peek out his window and watch the other students roam the halls. His office was near where Rob was, and he didn't really approve of how he acted, but he said nothing. As long as Rob was happy where he was, it didn't matter. Lately, Mr Small had been hiding in his office a lot more. He would usually be walking around the school's brand new building, talking to kids and giving them high fives, handing out pieces of candy he found in his pocket when nobody around, anything to make some boring angsty teen's day. Sadly for him, these weren't middle schoolers anymore, and nobody really liked him. Some kids were extra mean, Julius still went and was pretty well known for being extra awful, upping his game this year. He got pretty infamous from spitting out a piece of Mr Small's candy, right on his shirt, and calling him some pretty terrible names. It seemed Small never really recovered, because every time he came out of the office, he looked stressed out of his mind. He looked as if he was trying too hard not to be suspicious, but everyone was sure it was just because of all the mean 15 to 17 year olds surrounding him and distorting his world view. It was a wonder the guy hadn't quit.

One lazy Friday morning in particular, though, something strange happened. Rob was leaning up against his usual wall, and everything seemed normal. That was, until Julius got sick and tired of seeing this random kid take up space in the school that practically belonged to him. Julius felt as if he was the ruler of this place, he had all the power here, and nobody wanted to mess with him. Finally, he put his foot down, literally, a hard stomp right in front of Rob. Rob tensed up and backed himself into the corner, trying to take up as little space as possible. He already felt undeserving of space as it was, and now this? It was a fear of his, to be confronted. He waited for the harsh words like bullets and venom, but nothing came. Julius just stood there, staring at Rob intensely. "Are ya gonna leave?" He asks finally. Rob just stayed completely frozen, hoping if he didn't move, he'd be spared the reminder he was a failure. The reminder he was not allowed to exist here, there, or anywhere, and that he should just disappear. The world couldn't erase him, and neither could Julius or the words he'd already been fed by others in the past, but it still made him feel really bad. "Can't you hear me? Are you deaf?" Julius raised his voice, causing Rob to tense up a little more. "You're in the way."

"How?" Rob asks, already expecting the worst. Julius was a very typical power hungry type of character, a true delinquent to his core, it was just how he was written. That kind of back talk wasn't what Julius wanted to hear, or expected from someone as scrawny and out of place as poor Rob.

"You're standing too close to the drinking fountain, dumbass. Do you even go here?" Rob didn't know how to respond. The response wasn't too harsh, so maybe he'd push his limits a little...

"I'm more than 6 feet away from it." Rob says, his voice slightly shaky as he goes up against this strange two dimensional bully. It wasn't the first he'd seen and dealt with. The only one he ever cared to fight with was Gumball, and they didn't even interact anymore aside from exchanging mean looks. To find someone else he could push was definitely the kind of excitement he needed in his boring life right now, but Julius was not the one to take that spot. He would never admit it, but he dearly missed Gumball's awful face showing up in his life.

"You shouldn't be messin' with me!" Julius rose his voice again, but before things could escalate any further, someone else stepped in. A familiar blue cat now stood to defend Rob, speak of the devil! His tail swished in an irritated fashion, his ears twitching every so often.

"Just use the fountain and go!" He says, standing in a defensive pose that made Rob feel all sorts of strange things. He felt... Angry. He felt upset that Gumball was the one who had to step in and 'save' him, he would've gotten on just fine by himself. Rob wanted desperately to push Gumball out of the way so he could face Julius himself, but so many thoughts stopped him from doing so. What if that rekindled the hatred they had for one another, and they started fighting again? Something in him told him not to get close to Gumball. He wouldn't allow himself to get any closer. He was afraid of what might come out of it. He was scared of facing the truth, that Gumball wasn't a bad or unlikable person at all.

"Kid, I'm older than you. You should stay out of this and let the older kids handle themselves." Gumball shook his head at Julius' words, expecting to be tossed to the ground and beaten to nothing. Of course, Julius wasn't going to get violent on school grounds, he wasn't that dumb and reckless. Just as he was about to speak again, Mr Small's office door opened, and out he came with several pieces of nice paper stacked in his hand. He gasped at the sight, seeming surprised by the scene he'd been greeted with.

"Kids! What are you doing, it's just about class time, passing period is no more than five minutes. Now hurry along! Now!" He fanned at Julius and Gumball as if they were pests. Julius walked off with a frustrated huff, these people weren't even worth his time obviously. Gumball stayed, going up to Mr Small.

"What's in your hand?" He asks. Small immediately became defensive, hugging the papers close to him as if they were his child. Sweat began to bead off his forehead, and it was clear he was hiding something.

"Don't worry about it, it's time for class!" He says, before walking off in the most calm way he possibly could. Gumball stared for a moment, before turning to Rob, who wore that same angry glare. Gumball was way too close, though. Rob let off a low growl, that strange animalistic behavior showing up once more, making him feel things. Gumball backed up, understanding this meant to get away. Guess it really was time for class.


	2. Dream Worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A peek inside Gumball's mind.

Unmoving, stagnant air filled the surrounding area. It was a comfortable quiet, the grass was green and soft, and the dome like shape surrounding it only rippled into a new scene if passed. Familiar scents and sounds filled the area, a zone of comfort to take a break from the unknown. Gumball stood up, passing beyond the barrier keeping him from the rest of his world. Lush greenery and blue skies exploded into view, colorful little orbs surrounding him as he entered this new plane of exploration. They were soft, tickly, and living beings that looked like little fuzz balls. Gumball giggled as the creatures he created guided him to a place deep in his subconscious.

Not too far from where he started was a small pond he'd never seen before, which his little fuzzy friends seemed to lead him. Gumball went toward the pond, the water clearer than ever, a place he could relax and prepare for his waking. The real world was so cruel and mean, but his was not. His world was happy, and sweet, and beautiful. There was comfort where he needed it, and adventure always nearby. Plus he had friends. After a few minutes of letting his feet soak in the cool water, he stood up, heading into the forest ahead. Something about this dream felt very different from his others. He was lucid, so he could pretty much make anything happen, but he wasn't sure about this one. He'd never felt so unsafe before, but everything was exactly how it usually was.

The deeper he went into the forest, the darker it got, and soon the sky turned a dark blue. The forest was only lit by strange floating lantern type creatures he didn't remember creating. They lit a clear path for him, it was misty like the mornings after summer's last rain. He continued forward out of curiosity, knowing nothing horrible could really happen. This wasn't real, and he could leave anytime he wanted. He'd take some mild discomfort over the real world any day. To feel a little safer, Gumball began to hum a tune. His little colorful fuzz ball friends joined in, very off tune and very quiet, but it was still comforting. The path was long, but it looked almost magical. Even if it was new and scary, it was at the very least very pretty. However, things took a turn.

At the end of the path, the trees surrounding seemed to get tighter, closing him into a very small path. He was terribly claustrophobic and hated the look of things, but there was a small door up ahead lit by one of those strange floating lantern creatures. He definitely didn't create that, he knew it. Still, he went closer, holding his breath as he opened the door. Inside, the landscape changed. The dark red sky looked like it was melting, the moon hanging above the scene on what looked to be a string. A thin layer of what looked like water coated the floor, but it was stained with red and grey and blue in different spots, the colors dissolving outwards like paint. Under his feet, beneath the water, it seemed to be wet grass. The whole place was shades of red, grey, blue, and black. There were a few other things around, like floating colorful orbs of distorted colors and shapes that didn't exist. All around the place were things that didn't make sense. Broken stars from the sky, flickering lights, and those odd lantern like creatures.

"What?" Gumball said aloud, confused on where he was. It was dark, but in the center was one flickering light, and a small, slightly raised platform to be just above the water. Gumball went toward it, climbing onto the platform. He took a look around and saw nothing. Broken chains and scrap metal were scattered around the base of the platform, as if something had been held here for a long time and escaped. This place was so eerily silent, it was almost comforting aside from all the unsettling scenery. The door Gumball came through was now gone, and suddenly, as he was about to turn back, a bright flash of light filled his vision. Out in the distance, he could make out another figure, but he woke up before he could see any details.

Gumball sat up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. Where was he? That was a weird dream, and he'd never had anything like it. His dreamscape was always comfortable, never so scary and distorted. Wherever he was, it was not his dream.


	3. Extracurricular Activities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For a school that doesn't really like fun, this was so exciting!

For someone who slept in a literal dump, Rob always came to school looking clean. He was terribly skinny and definitely underfed, but he didn't look like he slept in a dump. Gumball took note of this as he passed him in the hall. All morning, he'd been distracted by the thoughts of his new exciting dream. Even if it was really scary, it was still crazy to know his mind did all of that! He must've crossed into a new world, a new plane of existence, somewhere brand new. Penny walked next to Gumball as they passed through crowds of kids to their first classes.

"You seem really spacey today Gumball. Is everything alright?" Penny asks, worried for her friend. That was the great thing about Penny, she was definitely the most caring and kind person Gumball knew. Penny broke things off with him around a year and a half earlier, but it was an agreement between both of them. They were both falling out of romantic interest with eachother, and decided being friends was easier. Plus, Gumball wanted to put most of his time and energy for his first year of High School into work and good grades.

"You know what's missing, Penny? I've had most of the typical high school experience described in books and movies, like bullies and overwhelming amounts of work and stress, but what about clubs?" Gumball thought about it for a few days now. None of the after school activities called out to him, but he thought maybe if he forced himself into something, he'd enjoy it more than he thought. "I work pretty hard, I think I deserve it!" He was right. Penny smiled at him, this was great! She hated how he worked himself to death each night. He was very ambitious, and it was something people seemed to overlook when around him.

"You do deserve it! That's a great idea, but didn't you say there's none you like?" She asks. Gumball shrugs.

"Maybe I'll like classic literature more than I thought, I mean Shakespeare was a cool guy, right?" Penny sighs. Gumball would hate classic literature analysis club, he'd be miserable there. Plus, it was just a weird and oddly specific club, who wanted to analyze classic literature for fun? Sounded more like a class than anything.

"I think you should wait awhile. Maybe someone will make a new club and you'll really wanna go." Penny suggests, but then, Gumball got the greatest idea in the world.

"Wait... Penny! You're a genius!" He shouts, tossing his arms up in the air for dramatic effect. "I'll start my very own club!" Gumball thought about how cool it would be. He could make a hang out club, where people just come and hang out for an hour after school. Then, he could ask his mom to make cookies, and everyone would think he was the coolest. It would be cool to make something like that, but Penny already knew the reality.

"Gumball, what kind of club would you even make? The school only wants educational clubs." She was right. The last time someone turned in an application to create a more entertainment based club, it was turned down in an instant. "I'm sure something will pop up for you soon. You should just keep your eyes open. Still, it would be foolish of you to even try classic literature analysis club!" Gumball sadly had to agree. He really wasn't a Shakespeare kinda guy, as much as he wanted to be. What did Shakespeare even do again?

"Coming through now!" Mr Small was running through the hallway with a stack of papers in his hand and a roll of tape. On his face was a huge smile. Penny and Gumball watched him run straight to the end of a long row of lockers. He put one of the brightly colored pieces of paper up against the wall, pressing down a piece of tape, before heading up to the second flour proudly.

"Be careful now, Steve, and don't run in the halls!" Principal Brown called out his office. He went back in, mumbling something about Small being a bad example to the other students. What was his deal anyways? Why did Mr Small even work here still?

"What was he so excited about?" Penny wondered, before heading over to the paper that was now pasted on the wall. A few other students gathered around to look.

_Official Elmore Drama Club!_

_Show up after school for a chance to be in Elmore High's very own original play!_

_Don't forget your acting skills, tell your friends._

"Drama club? Wow, I haven't done anything theater related since middle school..." Penny says with a sigh.

"Wow, a theater club? That's so cool! Penny, are _you_ thinking of trying it out?" That voice... It made Penny flinch. From the back of the very small crowd, Rachel Wilson stepped up. Where had she been all of middle school? Penny froze up, before giving her a warm smile.

"Of course I'll try out! What about you?" Penny asks. Rachel seems to think for a moment.

"Well if you're trying out for it, then yes! It's gotta be neat if you're going. Seeya there!" Rachel wandered off. A couple other familiar students were chattering with another, talking about how cool a drama club was for such a boring school. Amongst the crowd, in the very back, was someone Gumball didn't expect. He saw the familiar face of Rob, who quickly turned and began walking away from the scene. _Was he planning on joining?_

"Well have fun, Penny! I don't think it's really my thing." Gumball says with a shrug, already turning to head to class.

"Gumball! May I have a word with you?" Mr Small asks, coming down the steps from the second floor. Gumball nods, and the two head to his office.


	4. Tryouts

Gumball sat across from Small at his desk. "What did I do wrong?" He asks, waiting to be scolded. The school seemed to have a lot of the same staff and students as their middle school, probably because it was the only school in town, or at least the only good one.

"You're not in trouble. I just wanted to make sure you're doing alright mentally. I want the best for all of the wonderful students here, you know that, right? I see the bags under your eyes and I just have to wonder what's going on at home... Are you alright?" Gumball was confused by this. His family wasn't abusive, and his body wasn't bruised up or abnormal. Were his eye bags really that bad? "You don't have to answer if it's a touchy subject. What do you do when you get home from school?"

"I'm fine, sir! I mean, I go to my room and write in my journal... But nothing is wrong. I guess I might be a little dehydrated." Gumball says with a shrug. It was the truth, he'd go home and immediately go to his room to write about his day. He picked up journaling only a month or so earlier, and it made life a lot more bearable.

"I see. Well, I think you should try something new. As I said earlier, I want the best for every student here. It took a lot of convincing to set up that club you know! It hasn't even started and it's already at stake. So, Waterson, I've come to ask a favor of you. Won't you join my club for both your sake and mine?" Gumball was pretty shocked at this. He didn't realize other people cared and worried for him. Drama wasn't exactly his thing after middle school, but maybe he'd try it out and really like it. He thinks about it for a bit, and decides it's time to try being open minded for once.

"Okay, I'll try it out." He says, standing up to head to class.

"Yes! Wonderful! The theater calls for you, Gumball Waterson! Maybe you'll make some new friends too, who knows?" And with that, Gumball left the room.

...

...

School flew by in what felt like minutes. Gumball hated to admit it but he was looking forward to this new club, he wondered who all would be there. Darwin was walking with him to the room picked for the club, only going for emotional support, but he too was excited. Secretly, Darwin really wanted to be apart of the play. He wanted to show off his stuff to the whole school! The two pushed open the door to the pretty small room, and immediately some familiar faces turned to look at them. Mr Small was at the front of the room, smiling and saving to Gumball as he entered. Penny and Rachel sat on one side of the room, happily chatting, while Clare hung out with her boyfriend Jared on the opposite side. In the far corner, Rob sat on a folding chair, his legs crossed. He glared at Gumball, before turning to look back at Mr Small. A new student was sitting awkwardly next to Hot dog guy, and that was really it.

"Welcome one and all, to Elmore High's official drama club!" He says excitedly. Nobody responds. "Ahem. Anyways, I expected a few more of you but we can make this work. Now, today we're going to be doing some general auditions. I'll give you some lines and you'll show me your skills. You'll receive a role in our original play by tomorrow afternoon!" He says, receiving a few small claps and cheers.

"What's the play about sir?" Penny asks, and Mr Small just looked absolutely delighted.

"I am glad you asked! There will be tons of romance and drama... The plot is all about the life of fictional Elmore High students. Here's a list of the roles. We will have a bully with a troubled home life, our main character whose a magical student with powers that need to be concealed, two lovers who have shared dreams and a strained relationship, and two students transferring from different schools outside the city only to fall into a wonderful blossoming friendship! This colorful cast will need to work together against the harsh forces of high school!" This was the weirdest, most mish mash plot Gumball had ever heard. It sounded like Mr Small just wanted a chance to write several stories and combine them into something the other teachers would like, about school spirit and stuff. The students whispered among themselves, talking already about which role they wanted. "There are also background characters, of course."

"What lines do we have to read for the audition?" Asked Clare.

"Great question! I've taken a few excerpts from my script that you can choose from. Performing an audition for a specific role might land you closer to it if you do well. How about we start from the right of the room and work our way to the left?" Nobody seemed upset at that, so Mr Small quickly began picking students to come up. The first one to be called was Penny, who stunningly performed a line of one of the lovers. Her performance was fantastic, Gumball expected nothing less! Next up was Rachel, who performed a pretty good line from the magical character. She was good, but maybe not suitable for such a big main character role. Clare and Jared performed the lover lines together, and did a great job, there was no way they wouldn't get those roles! Hot dog Guy performed one of the bully lines, and the new student nobody knew performed one of the same. Both were okay. Finally, Gumball, Rob, and Darwin were coming up. Darwin went up first and did great as Gumball predicted. Everyone here seemed so experienced and good! Gumball was actually pretty nervous.

Gumball stood up from his seat, taking the front of the classroom and a piece of paper. Finally. It was his turn. Even with the support of Darwin, he had a tough time. He picked one of the transferring student's lines, and stuttered over his words once before pulling off a pretty decent performance. Last but not least, Rob. Nobody really knew who he was, and everyone expected nothing of him. He was quick to perform, and although it was simple, he did way better than anyone expected. Overall, the auditions went great, and Mr Small was very proud. The entire time, he'd been taking notes. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, Gumball had hope he'd get a great character!

"Look out for the roles tomorrow! I'll be sure to write them down on the board before you come in for club." With that, the odd group of students left back to their homes. Gumball fell asleep happy, feeling as though he accomplished something. Maybe Small was right about this. Maybe he would get more out of drama club than he expected. The next day camed and went. Gumball skipped to the drama room excitedly once classes had finished, only to be crushed by what was written on the board.

_Bully - Penny_

_Magical student - Rachel_

_Transferring students - Clare, Hotdog_

_Lovers - Gumball, Rob_

_Background #1 - Cypress_

_Backstage helper - Darwin_

"What!?" Gumball shouts. He and Darwin were the first ones in the room. They were the first ones to see their roles.

"Hey! I get to be the backstage helper! That's awesome!" Darwin was so optimistic, clearly happy to be helping with the backstage stuff. However, Gumball couldn't even bring himself to speak. He didn't mind the role he got, but he got it with Rob. He was going to be performing the role of a lover with Rob, in front of the entire school. This was worse than any of his theater auditions in middle school. "Aw, what's wrong? At least you aren't background character #1!"

"It's not that, I-" Gumball was cut off by Mr Small entering the room.

"My, you two are here quite early! How do you feel about your roles?" He asks. Darwin nods in approval, giving him a thumbs up. "What about you, Gumball? I figured you should make a new friend, and what better way to start friendships than theater?" Gumball's ears were down on his head. His tail was swishing in that same irritated fashion as before, almost sadly.

"Can I have a role change?" He asks. Mr Small gasps dramatically.

"A role change? Is it because he's a boy? It doesn't have to mean anything in reality, theater is all about acting, and I thought some representation would be great!" Woah, Gumball didn't want to sound like he had anything against gay people. In fact, he himself was bisexual, and leaning toward men. He'd come to terms with that over the summer.

"It's not that! I like men!" He blurts out quickly. "Wait, no, I mean I don't mind acting with a man!" He sighs, frustrated at himself for pretty much outing himself on accident, and being awful at words. "It's just that, we aren't really friends."

"Gumball, it's okay to admit you like boys. You know, I like boys too." He rests a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, god this was embarrassing. "If you're nervous about everyone else knowing, I can change it-" the last thing he wanted was anyone thinking he was against gay people when he was pretty gay himself, he couldn't let Small leave with that impression! He didn't want to seem uncomfortable with his sexuality, especially now that the others in the club were coming in.

"No no, no, it'll be fine I'll keep it!" Gumball knew he didn't have the time or energy to argue anymore. If anything, he was more worried for Rob's response. He was scared of forcing Rob to spend time with him for this. Soon, Rob walked into the room, stopping dead in his tracks when the board came into sight. Oh no. Oh god. He was already internally freaking out, why was this happening to him? He was scared of what might happen if he and Gumball started talking again before, and he was even more scared now. They were actually a little more mature now, and that meant... No, it didn't. There was not a possibility of anything, he was overthinking things, why would he even imagine that? He just had to keep his cool, and play his role, then he would never have to speak to Gumball again. Both seemed to be on the same page.

The rest of the club that day was going over the script with Mr Small. Practicing their lines would be something else entirely tomorrow. It was pretty scary to think about all the things that could happen.


	5. Dream Worlds #2

The still air paired well with the eerie silence. This realm was like no other. An ever-changing space of little color and endless chaos. The mixtures of reds and greys fit so well with the dark atmosphere. It was almost pretty, but so so sorrowful and sad at the same time. Chained down to the central platform was Rob, the metal cuffs extending up from the ground clasping so tightly onto his thin wrists, they were bruised purple and red. Each time he woke in this realm, he had to pull himself free from these chains. They got weaker each time, but never went away for good. Once he was free and able to move, he traveled the lands of his wide and open dreamscape, trying to create new things.

Rob was able to recreate his old body from before the void incident inside his dreams. He dreamed desperately of being as powerful and creative as others. It was too bad he didn't know what Gumball's dreams looked like, he was guaranteed to be even more jealous and upset with him. Why was he so bad? Maybe, if he'd been good enough before, he wouldn't have ended up with this destroyed and disfigured mess of shapes that was his body back in the real world. He had no cool dream creatures to talk to, or wonderful shapes and colors to marvel at. He had no wide vibrant plains or mystical enchanted forests to explore. Everything he created turned sour and became a chaotic mess. Nothing turned out the way he wanted, and sometimes he would get so angry he'd destroy anything that got close to looking good. The only thing that turned out how he wanted was his form.

"I'm tired!" He screams out into the wide empty space beyond. He decided maybe he'd go a little further out, maybe try to create something simple for once. Maybe if he started slowly, things would be fine. He thought real hard, putting his mind to work to make a brightly colored door. Maybe he'd add more details, maybe he'd open it and find himself in a beautiful new plane of existence. But, what did it matter if he was able to create something new and wonderful, or go somewhere beautiful and full of life? He was a hardcore nihilist. He lived his days miserably, but sometimes gained a more absurdist point of view on the good days. He was never the optimistic type. Sometimes, he wanted to feel miserable. Sometimes it made him feel better to feel broken. It was sick and twisted, but he wanted to feel awful, he wanted pity, and he wanted it from someone specific. Rob shook his head, letting those thoughts slip away fast, before gasping at the door he'd created in front of himself. It was almost fairy like, magical like he wanted. "Huh?"

Rob pressed his pink hand up against the door, his eye wide with wonder, sparkling with this new joy. He slowly began to push the door open, greeted by something impossible. A clear pond with small fish and glowing orbs surrounding it. Somebody in a cloak sat on a stone near the pond, giggling. Rob was more confused than ever. It worked...? Wonderful creatures and beautiful scenery, it was all he ever dreamed! His heart fluttered with joy. Was his creativity still held back by his broken mind? Maybe he'd go to sleep and wake free from his chains the next time he went to bed. But who was that? Did he really create something so life like, something with such a pretty giggle? This creature didn't seem to notice him yet. "Who are you?" Rob asks, coming closer.

"Huh?" The person turned to look at Rob, and immediately his heart broke when he saw who it was. He didn't create this place at all. "What? What are you doing here, I didn't create you, I-!" Gumball cut himself off, standing up fast. The orbs flew away in a hurry, the pond became still. The grass beneath Rob's feet seemed to die and go black.

"... How did I get here? You're not real, this is a dream, why am I even asking?" Rob sighs, turning to open the door.

"Wait! No, I am real! Are you real? I must have just imagined you subconsciously, but.. why would I do that?" Gumball thought to himself out loud. Rob shrugged, not turning to look back at him. Gumball stood up and hurried over to Rob, grabbing him by the shoulder. "Don't go, stay here."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Rob was startled by the sudden hand on his shoulder. He expected to glitch up and shock both of them like he would have in real life, but this was a dream. His temporary form let him relax at the sudden touch. "Do you even know who I am? I didn't think you'd recognize me like this. You never did before."

"But it's changed now, hasn't it? We haven't fought since middle school, and I remember when you told me about your past!" His ears were folded back on his head in a sad sorta way, it made Rob feel bad.

"Changed? Just because I haven't tried to kill you doesn't mean things have changed between us." There was a long silence, before Rob gave into the sad look on Gumball's face, sitting down on a large rock by the pond. Gumball sat next to him, terribly close.

"It can change, though. We have to get along for the club too, Mr Small expects us to do good! I think I can do good if you keep your role and just side with me for once." He was admiring Rob's looks, finding this form to be so much cuter than his current in real life.

"I don't know. Drama club is just fiction, what we have is different. You've caused a lot of pain for me in the past.." Rob tucked a piece of loose hair back behind his ear. He avoided eye contact, his large pink red eye full of uncertainty. It was definitely a lot pinker than it had been in his previous real life body. His colors seemed to shift to much nicer shades, he wanted to feel prettier than before. He finally wanted to feel good about himself.

"But it's been a long time now, we're in high school! I can work to earn back your trust." Gumball seemed to plead for a better way.

"Then earn it." Rob stood up and went back toward the door. "I'll wait. We'll see if you can have a second chance by the time of the play." He opened the door, and left, finding himself back in his body and in his bed.


	6. First practice

Rob was the first one in the drama club room that afternoon. Gumball came in right after him, pulling a chair up next to his in the corner. He always sat in the corner, all alone. What a weirdo. Gumball scooted his chair as close as he could to Rob's, giving him a small, playful smile. "I had a dream about you!" Gumball says, excited to talk to Rob about it. He was convinced that was just his own creation, it had to be.

"I know. I was there." Rob says. Wait what?

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I lucid dream! I think I created you subconsciously in my mind, uh.. do you watch me?" Gumball asks, not really sure whether he should be disturbed or not. Occasionally Rob used to watch him through the window, but it was always pretty obvious, and Gumball would just let him inside. It was a mystery how he got there, since he was on the second floor, but he chose to ignore the details.

"No. I lucid dream too, and I can never make the things I saw last night." Rob didn't really want to talk about this. It was just weird and he really didn't like to think he and Gumball had any sort of weird connection or link.

"Oh, so was that really you? That's kinda weird that you, uh, know that for sure.." Gumball wanted to keep talking to Rob, but he didn't respond to that. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Gumball decided to talk again. "Do you know anything about the script? I hope we got big roles." Of course Rob didn't know anything about the script, nobody did. What was he even thinking? Gumball kept his embarrassment to himself, waiting for a response.

"No. I don't really like school plays, past experience... especially not being a main role." Rob refused to look Gumball in the eyes. He stared straight ahead.

"Oh, I bet you're really great at it though! You're like, dramatic and stuff, they love dramatic people. Oh, wait, not like dramatic in the bad way, you're like perfect dramatic." It was cute how much he was stumbling over his words, just trying to make conversation.

"I know. I don't think I'm bad either, drama teachers beg to differ." He finally peeked over at Gumball, before fully turning his head to look at the fluffy blue cat. He perked up at this, almost squeaking in excitement. All those excited and new middle school feelings came back, like how he felt any time he received a text or look from Rob. It was all flooding back in huge waves of happiness. He missed this a lot.

"Wow! You're great, I remember your audition!" Rob shrugs at the little compliment, suppressing a smile. He didn't want to seem bothered by this, but it was almost enough to make him blush. Who knew such a small compliment could get to him so easily, it made Gumball wonder what else he could say to fluster him. He wouldn't try anything crazy, though, still feeling a little intimidated.

"Alright everyone, today is our very first practice with the script! I brought in printed copies for everyone." Mr Small walked in with a stack of paper, greeting the now pouring in group of students. Gumball kept his eyes on Rob as Small talked about how important this play was to the school, and how much it would help show others school spirit. "Some of our most important roles will be the lovers. These two boys are so brave, stepping in to create a more accepting culture, a gay couple is rarely seen in such a setting! This is so wonderful!" Gumball kicked his legs excitedly, before gently nudging Rob.

"That's us!" He says with a giggle. Rob just nods, trying not to feel embarrassed. He couldn't believe he would have to interact with his former nemesis in such a loving way, and in front of everyone too... He didn't want to give the students a false impression, he didn't want to be seen as weird, or gay. He was pretty gay, but it was something he wasn't at all open about. He'd sometimes check out the boys in the hall, or try and show signs he was available, but he always got too nervous to truly embrace it. He would definitely be made fun of if he was seen like this He even considered leaving the play, but poor Gumball looked so happy and excited for this role. Small passed out the scripts, which were printed into small packets. Gumball immediately began flipping through the pages, finding the highlighted lines for his part. He gasped and became super giddy, his bisexuality was showing through more than ever.

"Look! There's a kiss scene! Does this mean..." Oh no. Oh god. This was exactly what Rob feared. He didn't want to have to KISS his former nemesis, that was just going too far for him! "Mr Small, are you going to teach us how to do fake theater kisses and stuff?"

"Well, truth be told, I don't have a clue how any of that works. I was hoping you'd maybe just be, uh... Comfortable doing it for real?" He was totally unprepared, having just written it in without thinking. Every good play had a good kiss, but he was willing to take it out of the script if they asked.

"I won't kiss him." Rob says sharply. "If I have to kiss him, I'll leave the play." Small threw up his hands defensively, a little scared of the sharpness in his tone.

"I can take it out, I was just wondering if you'd be willing! I would never force that upon a student. Go ahead and just cross it out with a pen." He was quick to bring a pen to Rob, who promptly scribbled out the kissing part. Gumball was honestly a little bit bummed, but that sharp tone made him go absolutely weak. He wasn't sure why he'd been so excited for that part. Maybe just the thrill of kissing a boy for the first time, or maybe getting to kiss someone as closed off and mysterious as Rob. They had a strange tension he always craved, and the blooming romance was detected by anyone in a thousand mile radius. Practically the whole room could sense that strange tension, except for Rob of course, who was completely oblivious to any and all feelings or weird stares he was already getting. As not gay as he wanted to seem, he was doing an awful job as coming across that way. Gumball was a little oblivious too, but he clearly had some feelings he didn't want to talk about.

"Anyways, today will be our first practice with the script! Now, we have time, kids. That means, I just want you to group up and act out a few parts to get familiar with each other." Mr Small seemed pretty nervous now, teenagers were so much scarier than pre teens. Pre teens were definitely scary, but in a completely different way. All these kids were so much more intimidating than before. Gumball seemed to latch right onto Rob at the mention of groups.

"Let's practice together, since our parts go together." Gumball says, trying not to sound way too excited or way too bored. It came out weird, but Rob decided this was the only logical idea. Of course he'd end up in a situation like this, all he wanted was to try drama again. The boys went into a small corner of the room together, holding copies of the script. Gumball sat down, positioning his chair to be in front of Rob's. "So, you're... not a theater kid? Meh, should've guessed, it's totally obvious."

"Actually, more of a rejected theater wannabe. I never got parts like this." Rob says with a shrug, trying to act all cool and calm. Inside, he was completely freaking out. This was a very strange situation he'd never been in, but he didn't want to complain. What if he was moved to a smaller role? This was the first big role in a play he'd ever received! He couldn't blow his chance, even if it meant possibly kissing Gumball Watterson. Ew.

"Oh, I see. Hey, did you know-" Gumball was quickly cut off.

"I know. You don't have to tell me about your middle school play experiences, I was there. Not like you would notice." Rob turned him down faster than ever, causing Gumball's ears to fold back on his head. His excitement died down, and now he felt next to nothing. He did feel a little guilt, a little sadness, he hoped this would be put behind them by now.

"Sorry." Gumball says quietly, before burying his face in his script to hide his disappointment. "We should focus, where do you think we should start? I was thinking... Here would be a good place to start!" He holds up his script and points to a dramatic line. "You're good at being angry. Why not just take it all out through acting? But like don't actually hurt me please." Gumball had to add the last part quickly, knowing how scary Rob could be at times.

"Oh, I'm past those childish days. I'm more into passive aggressive back talk nowadays, it's more effective." Rob says with a shrug, causing Gumball to crack a small smile. He liked hearing things like that, it remined him how much they'd grown and changed, it made him feel like he'd made progress too. He had become a lot more empathetic, and so did Rob. Though Rob never actually seemed as apathetic as he tried to be, he more came off like he was under a lot of pressure and stress and didn't need anymore of that.

"Well, it's still a good place to start, I want to see your skills in full!" Gumball stands up excitedly, grabbing Rob by the hand and pulling him up out of his chair with him. Rob stumbled over his own feet, nearly tripping over Gumball, but grabbing onto his other hand for support as he kept his balance. Gumball, assuming this was preparation for their act, positioned one of his hands around Rob's upper waist. The two looked as if they'd been dancing. "Wow, so quick to get into character." Gumball said in a slightly teasing voice. He totally knew this was partially on accident, he was just being a little shit. Rob just stared at him, as if he wanted to say something, his face flustered. He didn't know what he could say, so all he did was stumble over piles of words that couldn't string a coherent sentence even if they made sense. "Great, now use your mouth for the script instead of useless angry mumbling!" Rob couldn't believe the way Gumball was talking to him right now. After all those years of Rob being the better one with words, the roles had switched. The passive aggressive tone kept his heart rate up, it wasn't really anything new. Gumball was always pretty sarcastic when they were younger, but this came off as totally different. It was... hot? Weird? Totally uncalled for? He didn't know.

"Right, um." Rob looked past Gumball and at the script he'd left on his seat. "This is so cheesy. I can't believe they had to include a reference to the school every few sentences." Gumball giggles and shrugs.

"I know, it's so weird, isn't it? I got this crazy theory that Mr Small is just trying to get all the mentally ill kids in here with some lame excuse so he can work up some dumb therapy tactics on us all. I know what he thinks of us!" Gumball straightens himself, releasing Rob's waist to make a playful fist at the air.

"Mentally ill kids? Hm." Rob looks around the room. Clare, Hot dog guy, Jared, Rachel, Penny, and some kid he didn't know... Plus himself and Gumball. Clare had been going through it for awhile now, Hot dog guy had some pretty bad social anxiety that got noticeably worse, Jared probably came to support Clare. He didn't know what could be up with Penny or Rachel. "I guess, but why would you think so?"

"He called me into his office and asked me to be in the play because of how sad I look or something. I bet he pities me!" Gumball says with a big dramatic sigh. "Just like everyone else!"

"You like that, though. Also, that's strange, he did the same for me. He said I looked like I needed more to do, asked if I was being bullied, then asked if I was being abused. I had to explain I lived in a garbage dump!" Rob smiled a little at the memory. Seeing Small's face warp into discuss as he refused to ask any further questions was a fond memory of his. He was not fit for his role in this school.

"I love you." Gumball says. Rob's eye widens in shock. Why would Gumball say such a thing, why was his heart beating so fast?

"Sorry, what?" Rob asks, before Gumball laughs, pushing Rob away a little.

"Sorry! I had to, I was looking at the script!" Gumball waves it in his face, as if trying to get him back on track. He clears his throat, before reciting some of the things written down. "'I love you, forever and ever, but how could I forgive you after all you've done? You have made me suffer, in sleep and in consciousness!'" Gumball had on his best overdramatic romantic theater voice. He turns to Rob, pressing his back up to his chest before turning his head and gazing into his one eye. "'It must be true love, Elmore High has brought us together, so I will not abandon hope for us yet!'" He says with a sigh, before dropping the act and laughing.

"As if Elmore could be the cause of anyone's romantic success." Rob says with a small shrug, before pushing Gumball playfully off of him. Gumball nods in agreement.

"No way just being at the same school will get you anywhere, I can't believe Mr Small wrote this. You would think someone like him would wanna educate on all the other important factors that go into a relationship." Gumball says with a small 'pft' sound. Rob nods in agreement.

"These characters have no chemistry, they are so flat. We should revise this script ourselves." Rob suggests, reading excerpts of the script in his head. It was.. Really bad.

"I still have your number, when are you free?" Gumball asks, taking this suggestion very seriously. Rob was half joking, but it really wasn't a bad idea. They really needed more personality.

"Anytime. Tonight, tomorrow, the night after, have your pick." The boys quickly verified they had each other's up to date information, before Mr Small called drama out early.

_**This was such a great idea.** _


	7. Dream Worlds #3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get out, my motivation has been extremely low, but please stick around because I don't plan on discontinuing this anytime soon. Updates might be a little slow, but I promise that I will finish this story.

Instead of the normal journeys Gumball would go on, he stayed put in one spot for a long time. He sat on a rock next to the river he'd been at when he first saw Rob enter his dream before. There was no door nearby, and he wondered where it came from before. Did Rob create a link between their minds? Were they always linked? How did this happen at all? It was all so new and confusing, but definitely exciting. Gumball had to admit, this was definitely one of the coolest things he'd ever experienced. He continued to wait for Rob to come back, wondering if it was really him or if he was just entertaining the idea to make Gumball quiet down in class. He began losing hope after awhile, getting up from his spot. As he began walking away, a door appeared in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. He waited, knowing this had to be Rob! His heart sped up, and he started fidgeting with his hands. He always felt this excited when it came to seeing Rob, even since middle school. It was a feeling he couldn't possibly describe. The door opened up, and there he was, Rob. He was back in that form he held together in his dreams, the one he had before his body was destroyed. He stepped into the mystical woods of Gumball's world, looking around for a moment. He looked almost as if he didn't see Gumball at first, or forgot he was there already. Rob quickly fixed his eyes on Gumball, waving a little. He tried to smile, and immediately Gumball felt his heart melt. He felt a lot of guilt flood his mind, he was technically the root cause of Rob losing his old body.

"Do you miss how you used to look?" Gumball asks, sitting back down. Rob sighs.

"What a warm welcome. Yes, but I thought that was obvious." Still cold as usual. Gumball didn't see why Rob was still so cold and rude to him. He felt like they could put it all behind them now, it was so long ago to him. Rob definitely wasn't over losing his body, and he hoped he could forgive Gumball one day. He just wasn't exactly ready yet.

"So you liked how you looked? I don't really like how I look sometimes." Gumball found it hard to believe Rob really loved himself. Rob decided it would be alright to talk to Gumball about this, and shrugged.

"I tried to like my looks. There's a lot you don't know about me, and just like you struggle with insecurities, so do I. I thought showing a little more skin would make me feel better, but it only ever felt worse. Sometimes, I wanted to escape my body and just be a cloud of dust or something. Not that I wanted to die, or anything. I just wished I could be more comfortable." Gumball nods in understanding.

"I think I know what you mean. Maybe not to that extent though." Gumball tried to empathize and relate, but Rob shut him down.

"Of course not to that extent, I've got different problems than you." Gumball's ears folded back on his head, and Rob quickly added more. "I'm not saying you don't have problems that are important and valid, I just mean I know for a fact you can't understand this specific problem. If people knew the truth about me, I'd be refused a lot of services, I'd be turned away and bullied more. There are things I want to tell you but," He was cut off by Gumball putting a paw on his shoulder gently.

"I think I get it, you don't have to tell me anything." He smiles, and Rob felt a lot calmer. "Just enjoy what you have while you're here. You can always come here, I'll wait for you." Gumball's words made Rob feel warm inside. He decided to let down his stubborn act and allow himself to relax. He deserved it after all he'd been through. He had no friends, he was the target of bullies, and he was completely alone. Gumball was the only one who ever reached out to him, even with their rocky past. It was really hard to keep up a tough act with Gumball being so kind and empathetic. He really had changed for the better since middle school, but even then he was never a bad guy. Rob hated to admit it, but even when Gumball was causing trouble he could tell he had the best intentions. Gumball went out of his way to help people often, and he felt like he'd been way too harsh. He would never say that out loud. Rob sat down next to the blue cat, the sounds of birds and gentle water making the silence very comfortable. Rob kicked off his shoes and put his feet in the water of the small pond they sat by.

"I like it here." Rob says. The colors were so pretty, it felt so soft and beautiful. The water was so clean and the sky was so blue. Gumball put his own feet in the water, before lying back on the rock.

"I like it too, that's why I made it. It feels safe here, doesn't it?" Gumball turns his head to look at Rob.

"I guess it does. Being in a new place makes me nervous, but it's comfortable here. I guess being with another person helps." Rob smiles, looking over at Gumball, who gives him a bright smile.

"I thought you didn't really like me." Gumball says in a teasing voice. Rob shrugs.

"Things change. I should probably move on." Rob lays back too, keeping his eye on the cat next to him. They were closer to each other than ever before, so close Gumball could see the details on Rob's face he never could. Keeping a grudge wasn't healthy, and he knew since it was irreversible damage, he needed to accept it and move on. Gumball wasn't that bad of a guy, and for such a long time, it seemed he wanted Rob's attention. Rob definitely noticed, but decided to be cruel and cold.

"You're pretty." Gumball says. Rob was caught off guard by the compliment, his cheeks were hot already. It was a word he adored so much, 'pretty'. How could Gumball so easily pick out his weakness? Why did this feel so familiar? Not this exact situation, but bits and pieces like this. It felt like this had happened before. Where did that weird liking for the word pretty even come from? It didn't seem to be there before. Something was weird, but he decided to brush it off. The silence between them quickly became awkward, Rob was avoiding eye contact and Gumball wasn't saying a word. He just stared straight ahead at the sky, which was no longer bright blue and cloudless. It was a mix of baby blues and pastel purples, with small stars spread across the galaxy.

"Does this feel familiar to you too?" Gumball asks, almost perfectly on cue. Rob nods, glad he wasn't alone. Gumball shrugs a little. "Weird." The boys sat mostly in silence for the rest of the time. It was very peaceful, even if being with each other made it all a little awkward. This world created by Gumball was so wide and beautiful, nothing like the broken hellscape that was Rob's mind. Everything felt peaceful, and the little cat had excellent control over everything that happened. Rob thought of what it was probably like, seeing a door appear so suddenly in such a peaceful and controlled environment. He hoped he didn't scare Gumball, or cause any sort of panic when he realized he didn't make what was in front of him. Rob also thought it was weird the real Gumball actually believed him when he mentioned this all being very real. It was a weird concept, visiting each other in their dreams. It felt like the start of a movie, but this was all real. Even if the worlds around them were completely fabricated, both real and dreams, it didn't matter much anymore. There would be an inevitable end, but it hadn't come yet. Rob's nihilistic behavior and mindset held him back pretty far, he thought being an optimist for once might change things. Attempting to view everything differently made a big change. He felt a lot more free. Life had its own meaning, even in a world that didn't exist. Yet he still chooses to ditch that fantastical world for another. It was a lot to think about. Of course, he felt alone, being one of the only ones who knew their fate. There were others, but very few, and they would definitely not talk about it. He wasn't the only one who had been trapped.

After what felt like hours passed, Rob sat up. He looked at Gumball, before standing up and drying his feet on the grass. "It's probably close to morning."

"Time works differently in dreams, you know!" Gumball calls out, sitting up quick.

"Yes, I know, but I have to get up early." They went to the same school, how early did Rob have to wake up? Gumball woke up late and got there on time, his house was further from the school than the dump was.

"Stay here with me, just for a little longer! It'll be okay, I promise you can make it on time." Gumball finally felt like he had the chance to talk to Rob, really get to know him, after all these years. He wouldn't let this opportunity slide. What if Rob never came back? He was actually pretty skeptical this was really him at all, slightly convinced it was just a figment of his own imagination. Still, it was a version that didn't absolutely hate him, he'd take this over anything. Even if it was fake, a fabrication, a vision in his own head, he didn't really mind. It was a companion. Darwin often went off and did his own thing nowadays, they were still best friends and brothers, but Gumball didn't want to hold him back from making his own brand new friends. They still hung out often, but they were further apart. Penny was cool, she and Gumball were very close friends, but it still felt a little weird and Penny would often hang out with Rachel instead. That was all he really had. Without them, he was left alone.

Rob stares at him for a minute, as if in disbelief he'd be wanted anywhere. After a minute of thinking, he sighs and joins Gumball near the pond again. The two laughed and talked for at least a few more hours, before finally saying their goodbyes. It was a nice night, and Rob didn't regret staying at all. They felt closer. Maybe play practice would be easier after this.


	8. Waking up

The next time practice came around, Gumball waited in the room excitedly for Rob. He sat on a chair, kicking his feet back and forth happily. When Rob entered the room though, he was cold as ever. Gumball's smile fell as Rob pushed past a student and sat a good distance away from Gumball, not even looking at him. Why? What did he have to do to earn Rob's kindness? They'd spent more time together, he thought Rob was finally learning to be a little more compassionate and forgive him. Gumball let out a sad sigh, deciding it best not to even look at Rob. It kind of hurt, he'd blamed himself for awhe for what happened. He might've been partially to blame, but it wasn't all his fault. The higher forces played the biggest part in Rob's downfall. This made him feel even worse than he already did, not understanding why he'd been treated so harshly for nothing.

After a few minutes of silence and students entering the room, Mr Small came in as well. He stood at the front of his room. He was very joyful, but it was clear his attitude was more fake than usual today. "Alright students, today we need to practice extra hard! I've gotten word that we need to perform just three weeks from now! Play practice will be more frequent." He sounded uptight, he sounded like he was under a lot of pressure too. He started handing out papers with schedules for individual pairs to practice with Small so he could give pointers, and whole group practice days. "Now, I know this is going to be very stressful. If this was up to me it wouldn't be this way! Sadly it's not my decision!" So he was under pressure, someone had way more control over the club than he did. "Speaking of that, I thought we needed more extras, so we have a few students joining us late!" With that, the door to the room was thrown open. None other than Julius and two other unfamiliar students entered the room.

Rob went wide eyed for a minute. Julius liked drama clubs? This was awful, what was he going to do? Gumball scooted his chair loudly next to Rob's, drawing a little bit of attention towards them. He felt safer next to Rob, and he wanted to help if Julius said anything rude. Julius looked in their direction, but was unable to say anything before Mr Small began practice and hurried over to talk to the newcomers. "Why does he hate you so much?" Gumball asked sadly.

"Gumball, he's a bully. He hates a lot of people, he only singles me out because I'm different. I don't attend classes, I live in a dump, and I'm always alone. I'm the perfect target." Rob said with a shrug. Gumball was quick to scoot even closer. "Why are you so close to me?"

"Is it too close?" Gumball asked, his ears falling back just a little. Rob noticed this and shrugged.

"It's fine." He gave Gumball a little bit of a smile. It was a worried smile, but there was some warmth behind it. The small smile made Gumball melt a bit inside. He felt all mushy whenever Rob did things like that. "We need to practice. I haven't memorized any of this." Gumball was nodding in agreement, holding up his script. The two started practicing their lines, much like the other groups in the room.

"Hey, kid." After about half an hour, someone came up behind Gumball. It was a voice he recognized. Julius.

"What do you want?" He asked angrily.

"Woah, so aggressive! Why is that? Angry I insulted your boyfriend the other day?" That was over a week ago, and Rob wasn't his boyfriend, why was he acting like this? Gumball decided to just ignore the boyfriend part.

"Why are you so rotten now? You seemed fine in middle school, what changed? You're not getting anywhere in life like this." Gumball really did want to know what happened. Julius was better than this, he was still an asshole, but he wasn't completely awful.

"Please, people change. Also, I was always like this." He wasn't. Gumball knew for a fact he still had thoughts and feelings, he had to know this was wrong. Julius may have been awful now, but he definitely wasn't completely drained of empathy. He had to know this was wrong deep down.

"You changed for the worse, and you're happy about it? You think you're cool? You think you're slick? People hate you!" Gumball was so upset and Julius had barely said anything. The expression on his face changed for a second, but he quickly became angry.

"You think I don't know that? I'll show you!" Julius began stomping toward the two boys, Rob was getting ready to shield himself and Gumball.

"Oh, that doesn't look like practice!" Small put aside his fear of teenagers like Julius to pull him back away from the scene. He was now in a completely seperate corner of the room, glaring at Rob and Gumball. Small smiled and came back to the two. "Are you boys alright?" They nodded, Gumball smiling back at him and Rob glaring back at Julius. His mood was soured.

"I can't believe he's here." Rob said sadly, his voice breaking up a little. He sat down again, hunched over, trying not to show any real emotions.

"Is there... Anything else that might make him hate you so much?" Gumball was picking up a possible history between the two. Rob never got this emotional, even when he was being picked on.

"Listen, Gumball. We were friends. Actually, we were more than friends for like a week in middle school. It was nothing crazy, we maybe held hands a time or two. It was a bad split." Rob whispered into his ear. And he thought middle school relationships couldn't be this serious. "I barely thought of it as anything, I barely think of it now, but he's afraid I'll tell people and ruin his reputation. It's a fair fear to have as a gay person in this society."

"Are you gay?" Gumball asked without even a second thought. Rob rolls his eye.

"Yes, Gumball. I thought you already knew this." Rob couldn't help but crack a bit of a smile at the way he asked. He sounded so surprised.

"Wow! I think I'm bisexual, but I don't really know because I've only ever dated Penny." Gumball smiled. He felt better about questioning himself, and he understood Julius a little more.

"You're not just straight? Jeez. I probably should've known. Middle school was weird." Rob's mood changed once again. He was starting to feel a little better. The two talked for awhile more, they were definitely bonding. Finally, they practiced for their parts in the play once they had no more conversation topics. It was overall a pretty good day. As the day ended and Rob started to leave, Gumball nervously grabbed his hand.

"Meet me in my dreams." He said gently, before letting go. Rob stood there for a minute, processing that sentence as Gumball hurried out the door and to his home.


	9. Rejection

Gumball's paws pressed against his screen rapidly as he typed out what to say. He'd just gotten home and decided tonight was a perfect night. All this play practice stuff was weird and embarrassing, but luckily his family was headed out tonight. Gumball managed to get out of it, so he'd have the house all to himself. Finally, he dialed a number, and pressed the call button. He put the phone on speaker and took the ringing time to open up the document he was just typing in. The phone stopped ringing, he picked up!

"Hi Rob, it's Gumball, are you busy?" He asked hastily. There was silence for a few seconds on the other end.

"When am I ever busy? I live in a dump." With that, the boys planned to meet in less than an hour. Gumball felt so excited, so much happier than he'd been in awhile. He ran straight to the bathroom, changing into a less sweaty shirt and a pair of casual comfortable sweatpants. He barely ever needed to comb his fur more than once a day, but he felt like he should now. As soon as he was ready, he heard a knock at the door, great timing. He ran down the stairs and quickly opened the door.

"Rob! Come in, did you bring the script?" Gumball asked, the excitement showing in his voice.

"Yes, you sound awfully excited to rewrite this thing.." Gumball wanted badly to interrupt and say he was more excited to see him, but that would sound weird. Oh well, he'd said weirder, surely it wouldn't be a problem if he were honest.

"I'm just glad you're here." He said, giving Rob a warm smile before grabbing his wrist and leading him to his room. Rob felt special when he heard those words. The boys sat down on Gumball's bed, putting their scripts on books like clipboards. They had their pens and highlighters and a bit of extra paper, ready to rewrite these characters in a way that would make Mr Small proud of them. Half an hour into their rewriting session, Rob interrupted a discussion about the characters to bring up a more personal topic.

"Gumball. I have to talk to you about something that's been bothering me..." Gumball smiled and nodded. Yay! This must mean Rob trusts him a little more.

"Sure dude, you can always talk to me about stuff." He was trying hard to contain his excitement, but he was worried it would come across like he was holding in laughter. He just felt like he could explode, so many new feelings.

"I'm not asking to vent, really. I'm saying I need to talk to you about something involving the both of us." That made things feel a little less sweet, but even more exciting. "Our dreams. Are they real, or am I imagining things?" He asked. Gumball was quick to respond.

"Real, I think, I hope! I've been having dreams about you lately. Not long ago I had one about you, you walked through a door and we sat at a river. We just kinda talked and relaxed." It was right on the mark. Rob still had his doubts, he'd just lazily told Gumball all of it was real from the beginning but now he was actually starting to believe it. He thought maybe it was a coincidence, up until now. Gumball lifted his paws and took Rob's hands in his own. "You're not bad."

"You misunderstand me. I am bad, I've done some terrible things to you. I'm completely evil, really, I'm rotten." Rob sounded upset at the little statement. He couldn't believe himself to be anything other than bad.

"You're pretty, like a flower, a really nice flower that people don't really care to look at long. You know, I've never been one to smell flowers or anything but I think, I'd like to look at this one more." God that was cheesy, awful and cheesy, but Rob's cheeks were all red and hot.

"That was awful. This play really is doing something to you." Rob refused to acknowledge the rest of what he said further. He got up and started packing up his things. Rob stood up and started walking away, his mood soured.

"Rob, wait!" Gumball got up, grabbing Rob gently by the wrist to stop him from leaving. "I don't think you're bad for your past mistakes, but I know that I am. You did those things because I hurt you, so you shouldn't blame yourself so much." Rob stared at him for a minute, not sure how to respond. Gumball didn't need anymore time though, he released his wrist and wrapped his arms around the other boy, pulling him into a hug. Surprised but not angry, Rob hugged back, holding him tightly. The hug made both feel secure and warm.

"I'm no pretty flower. Maybe a flower from hell, but no matter what the metaphor is, you shouldn't be getting so close to me." Rob pulled away from the hug, and left without another word. Gumball spent the rest of the night feeling cold no matter how many blankets he piled on. Rob didn't visit him in his dreams for awhile after that, the next play practice they didn't even have one interaction. Rob spent the whole time talking to Mr Small. Gumball felt lonely and rejected.

"What's wrong Gumball?" Penny asked. It was a sunny Friday afternoon, one of their play practice days. It was only lunchtime so they had awhile to prepare. Gumball was preparing himself for the emotional punch in the gut when Rob would inevitably refuse to even look at him like last time.

"Nothing's wrong." Gumball lied. Darwin was on the other side of him, and Rachel sat across from Penny.

"Come on, you can tell us anything! We'll listen!" Darwin said happily. Rachel and Penny were nodding in agreement.

"I think you should let your feelings out and explain the problem slowly. Take your time!" Penny said, placing a gentle hand on Gumball's shoulder. He thought about it for a minute. He could tell Penny and risk being judged and getting weird questions about his attractions and sexuality, or he could stay quiet and suffer in silence. He decided he trusted Penny and Darwin enough to go ahead and say it.

"I dunno man, I kinda invited Rob over a few nights ago to work on play stuff, I really thought we had something but.. I don't think he feels the same at all." Gumball hated putting it that way, but it was true. He was definitely attracted to Rob, he always had been really, it was just hard to admit it to his best friends.

"Sounds to me like you feel rejected! You can't force someone to feel a certain way, so sometimes you just have to let yourself feel those things and eventually move on." Rachel was the first one to respond.

"Another option is communicating to Rob how you feel. Does he know about the connection you felt you had with him? Maybe he's a little oblivious. Maybe he has problems you can't understand and a little talking will help both you and him out!" Penny suggested. She always had such great advice.

"It's not good to just sit alone in your sadness Gumball, if you share this stuff with us more often we can help! If I knew I would've helped you find some ways to cope." Darwin was completely right. All of Gumball's friends were there to support him, none of them judged him or asked invasive questions like he feared.

He had to believe in his friends more. He knew what to do now.


	10. A long talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, for full context/extra stuff you should check out my other fan fics, Ethereal Equilibrium and Why Die Guilty (sequel to Ethereal Equilibrium), it's not a big deal but it would probably help you understand a lot more of the things going on in this chapter!  
> Just some extra stuff for ya.

It wasn't time for practice yet, but it was nearly the end of the school day. Gumball managed to get out of his class a few minutes early, heading over to the spot Rob usually hung out. This time, he wasn't there. Gumball thought of all the other places he could be. Maybe he was in the bathroom, maybe he left early, maybe he was already in the drama room? Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Rob all day. Maybe he didn't feel well. Gumball sadly made his way to the drama room, finding no sign of Rob there either. He checked the bathrooms, he checked outside the school, but nothing. Finally, Gumball decided he should pay a visit to the only place he could think of. He went out the front doors of the school, knowing he'd be in trouble if he were caught. The bell hadn't rung yet and school wasn't officially out, but he had to find Rob. Something felt very wrong, he couldn't shake the feeling he had to be there for him and quick.

Gumball speed walked all the way to the big junkyard Rob lived in. He had nowhere else, so he just hung around here most of the time. Gumball climbed the fence and carefully stepped around steeper piles. He searched until he heard the bell ringing from afar. His school was quite aways away, but since it was a new era for Elmore High, they had a very new bell that seemed to echo all across the city. He sighed, climbing the fence again and heading back to school. Where was he? In the sky were clouds, it looked like it could rain any minute. Once Gumball was back at the school entrance, crowded by kids leaving, he noticed someone peaking out from behind a bush nearby. He went closer to get a better look. That familiar face couldn't be anyone else, he ran toward the bush and tackled whoever was there to the ground.

"What are you doing? I was looking for you everywhere!" Gumball shouts at the surprised boy beneath him.

"Shut up! Shut up, I'll explain, but don't draw any attention!" Rob pushed Gumball off of him and stood up. He started walking deeper into the trees and forest beside their school.

"Where are we going?" Gumball asked in a whisper voice, taking in their surroundings.

"It's where I like to go when I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed. I just know you wouldn't shut up if I didn't tell you." He didn't want Gumball to think he was special or anything, but he did kind of want to show him this place.

"Wow! A secret place, a hideout! And I have the honors of seeing it? Cool!" To Gumball, this meant they were becoming closer. He'd never felt so excited in his life, his heart was beating so fast. He watched Rob walk ahead of him, and his feelings took hold of him. He still didn't know how real all these feelings he had were. Maybe this would help. "Um, Rob, I know this is weird but, uh, can I, um..." Gumball felt so weird asking this, he felt like he wasn't being cool or smooth at all, but with someone like Rob he felt like it was better to ask. "Can I hold your hand?"

"What? Why?" Rob wasn't sure how to respond at all.

"Because I don't really like being out here like this." He wasn't really lying, he felt like they were going too deep into the forest, he was paranoid Rob would try and kill him or something, just passing thoughts.

"Eh.. if it makes you feel better I guess." Rob wasn't really sure how to say no, and he was a little curious, so he decided to make an exception this one time. Gumball nearly squealed, before snatching Rob's hand with his paw, squeezing it a little as they walked side by side. He kept his eyes on Rob the entire rest of the walk. He could feel his palm starting to sweat, Rob was definitely nervous. He refused to make eye contact with Gumball. As they neared a small clearing in the forest, Gumball stopped. He dropped Rob's hand.

A log in the center like a bench. A thin tree canopy that let the light in just perfectly. This place... Why was it so familiar? Something was weird. Why was everything so weird today? What in the world was going on with him? Gumball got this awful sense of deja vu. He had it earlier too, when he called Rob pretty. Sometimes he'd get feelings, like he knew what Rob would do next or how he was feeling inside.

"Gumball?" Rob asked, his voice a little softer than usual. He didn't really know what he was doing, but he tried to signal he wanted the cat's paw back, brushing his finger against Gumball's. Quickly, Gumball snapped out of his weirded out state, awakened by that little gesture. He felt that sense of happiness flooding back as he reached for Rob's hand again. Wait, although this place was familiar, something was very unfamiliar. There was the sound of a small pond nearby, a river maybe.

"Sorry." Gumball sounded almost sad as he said that. This was all so weird, he couldn't shake these feelings. Rob pulled Gumball toward the log, sitting down and letting go of his hand. Everything was so silent. Although Rob was there, Gumball felt alone. The sounds of the nearby stream were loud, and the chirps of the birds surrounded them, but the air felt empty and soundless. It all felt artificial, sad, and nostalgic. Things could never go back to how they were. Rob stared up at the sky above. Gumball snapped back to reality, he had to change how things were going.

"I'm not sure how to fix things." Gumball said.

"What do you mean?" Rob was confused.

"I sometimes make mistakes man... I didn't realize I was getting too close to you. I didn't know it made you so uncomfortable!" He was back to thinking of the other night.

"Oh, I see." Rob was thinking of how to respond. "I wasn't uncomfortable, just stressed. Things are weird lately. I think this whole dream situation is weird and I've been feeling some indescribable things. I say things I don't mean sometimes."

"But did you mean it when you said you're bad? Is that how you see yourself?" Gumball's response was very quick, like he'd been wanting to know forever.

Rob had no idea how to answer, he was still processing the question. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up. "Of course I do. I've done some pretty unthinkable things in the name of revenge, in the name of Elmore. In the name of saving something completely artificial." Right... Gumball forgot about all the things that had happened years back.

"I feel like I'm pretty bad too. I mean, maybe you had a point. I just want your approval, even if it's kinda weird and silly." Gumball let out a sad sigh. Rob decided it would be okay to swallow all his pride and do something he'd never thought of doing. He pulled Gumball into a tight hug, much like the one Gumball initiated at his house a few nights ago.

"It's hard for me to say things like this, but I'm going to try anyways. I want your approval too, always have." This was news to Gumball, it felt odd for Rob to be saying such a thing. "I'm not just saying that to make you feel better, I really mean it. It's embarrassing. You're not bad, I.. I just wanted someone to be at fault. I didn't want to believe I was a problem, a mistake."

"You've made life here so much more interesting! I've had lots of cool stuff happen, but you've always been like, the coolest thing to happen to me. Do you have any idea how much I loved hating you back? I don't even think I hated you, ever!" Gumball was smiling now. He felt like he could giggle. He scooted closer, burying his face in Rob's chest.

"I'm sorry I left early. Do you want to continue script revision tonight?" Rob asked, holding Gumball close. He felt extremely weird and awkward about being so close, but at the same time, he liked it.

Gumball agreed and looked up at Rob's face. These feelings were real, so real, he had feelings for Rob. He'd always had romantic feelings for Rob. He was finally ready to admit to himself that he was completely in love with this guy!


	11. Trying again

That night, Gumball and Rob headed back to the Watterson household. The family was there tonight, but he wasn't worried about anyone questioning it. As Gumball pushed the door open and let Rob inside, Nicole came to the door with a big smile. "Honey, I didn't know you were bringing friends!"

"Yeah mom, we have things to work on, he's here to help me with school stuff." Gumball was very quick to drag Rob up to his room. Darwin was there, but the second he saw Rob he immediately shot Gumball a reassuring good luck smile and left. Anais was hanging out downstairs already, so all was going well. "Alright, now that there are no distractions, we can get to work! Where did we leave off last time."

"Gumball. We should get this done and all, but I have to ask something of you, it's very, very embarrassing!" Rob was almost whispering his words. He seemed a little paranoid someone might hear him, he feared someone was outside the door listening in or something. Gumball waited patiently.

"Sure dude, what's up?" Gumball gave him a smile, pulling out his script and some highlighters.

"This is going to sound weird but, ugh.. I don't want to just do work with you! I want to hang out and have fun too." Gumball's eyes lit up as Rob stumbled over his words.

"Okay, then how about we get some of this done and then I can ask my mom ifff you can stay over tonight? We have videogames and stuff so you'll be entertained." Gumball had a huge smile on his face, his voice was almost shaky from excitement.

"I don't want to play videogames. I think, I want to get to know you. I can't believe you're making me say things like this, this is nothing like me really!" Rob was just so stubborn.

"Chill, I'm not making you say anything! You're doing a great job communicating and stuff, I'll go ask my mom right now." With that, Gumball left the room and came back ten minutes later. "My mom said yeah, my sister will sleep on the couch so you can have the top bunk." Rob felt so many warm feelings in his heart. The boys got to work on the script revision then, spending over an hour and a half just rewriting the lines and the characters. They weren't good at writing romance, but they were better than Mr Small. The two felt comfortable sharing ideas and being silly with eachother the entire time, though Rob did feel a bit awkward whenever Gumball would give him little joking looks that made his heart jump, or said funny little romantic things to put in the script.

Finally, once they were both a bit tired and felt a bit better about the scripts, they put away their supplies. "You're good at this stuff!" Gumball commented, before flopping back on his bed. He patted the spot next to him, and hesitantly Rob laid down next to him. Both turned onto their sides to face eachother.

"Gumball.. are you sure this is really okay? All of this, I mean. I feel like, you're teasing me, trying to hold my hand and hugging me and stuff." Rob had a lot of worry in his eye. He was so scared of the way he was falling for his ex nemesis from middle school. It was all a weird scary process. The good thing was that he felt like he had a chance if he were to actually treat these feelings as anything other than passing thoughts and what ifs just so they'd go away.

"I mean, is it okay with you? I can back off, I mean I don't want to move too fast, I know we like just made our friendship more official and stuff, and this is all probably weird for you!" Gumball blurted out, his words were fast and jumbled.

"It's not that, I just need to know what you're trying to do. This isn't how you act with your other friends, I, um.. I don't want to be led on." Rob sounded a lot sadder, a lot more anxious. Meanwhile, Gumball's heart was going absolutely wild, he couldn't contain all this happiness and excitement he was feeling, things were happening!

"No no no no, no, no I get it! I get it, I'm not leading you on, I like you a lot, I like you so much, I think there's like maybe some potential for more or whatever!" Gumball was talking so fast he was hard to understand, but Rob understood. Before he could respond, Gumball started talking again. "You told me not to get too close to you and stuff but I totally want whatever you want, oh my god this is crazy! I have never felt so.. so..!!" Gumball couldn't finish his sentence. Well, Rob couldn't escape this one. He wasn't actually very sure about his feelings yet, but he dug himself a hole. Gumball definitely liked him a LOT more than he expected.

"Okay, okay, wait, let's take this slow. If you really want something more, uh.. give me time, I'm processing my own feelings." Rob said, hoping if this was meant to be it would come a little more naturally. He gently put a hand on Gumball's cheek, just to see how it would feel, still not believing what he was feeling. Gumball scooted closer, wrapping his arms around Rob. He pressed his face into his chest, hugging him. This was all very scary for Rob, who gently nudged Gumball away.

"Right, slowww.." Gumball was trying really hard to calm down, but he felt so much it was hard to keep it all inside. The boys talked for awhile, and by the time it was dark out, Gumball had already fallen asleep next to Rob. He had an arm around him still, having fallen asleep from the comfort of the warmth nearby and Rob's voice alone. Rob couldn't really move, it's sort of an unspoken rule not to move if a cute cat falls asleep on or near you.

"..Goodnight." Rob said, before pulling the blanket up over the both of them, letting Gumball cling to him. So much for Anais sleeping on the couch and Rob getting her bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys know the forest clearing area that appears in my fan fictions is actually based off a shitty minecraft build I did forever ago? Just a fun little fact


	12. Communication

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I love writing healthy relationships, expect stuff like this in all my fics at this point

Rob had mixed feelings about the way things were going, he felt very unsure. He did feel warm and nice with Gumball in his arms, but he was also absolutely sure this had to be a phase. He wouldn't allow it to be anything more really. Even if these feelings were real, he would probably try to destroy them. They couldn't be THAT strong, not stronger than he was. It just didn't feel right, all these years spent blaming Gumball for his misfortune, and suddenly he was the boy of his dreams.

Morning light streamed through the curtains, it was Saturday. Darwin was asleep, and Anais must have noticed her bed was empty in the middle of the night because she was asleep too. What time was it? Rob looked around the room, then back at Gumball. He was still asleep, snuggled up to Rob's chest. He looked so cute this way, it was hard to think of hurting him. Rob didn't want to hurt him physically in any way. He needed to let him down easy if anything more happened, but for now he'd just ignore his feelings and pretend Gumball wasn't feeling the exact same things.

A few minutes later, Gumball began to stir awake. He stretched, then opened his eyes and looked up at Rob. He had a dreamy look in his eyes, his fur was a bit messy. He looked tired, but happy. Rob didn't smile at him, or give him any sort of look. He remained completely expressionless, trying to feel and look extremely neutral. Sadly it was working against him, Gumball liked that about him. It made him look more mysterious and closed off, Gumball just found that sorta person attractive. "Good morning." He whispered softly, clinging tighter to Rob. He got a better sleep than he had in a very very long time.

"Hi." Rob said quietly, before pushing Gumball off of him just enough so he could get up. Gumball wondered why he was acting this way, he thought they were closer after the other night but Rob felt more distant than ever. Maybe he was just tired. Gumball told himself that and felt reassured, it was early anyways.

"Let's make breakfast together, nobody else is awake!" Gumball hurried over to Rob, wanting to hug him or touch him, but he didn't. He kept his distance, assuming Rob didn't want to be touched right now from his cold attitude.

"I don't really know how to cook, and I should probably go." Rob sounded a little sad, and he was. He wasn't sure what exactly he was doing, he just knew he was scared. He was so very scared of all the new feelings, all the new ways he could be hurt in the future. The personal things he'd have to tell Gumball, the arguments and fights over dumb things, the small details saved for only very trusted people... He couldn't risk getting any closer, that was too much trust for anyone. He was right from the start.

"Go? But you don't have any plans, do you? It's nine in the morning! Why not stay?" Gumball had a bit of a pleading tone to his voice. He really didn't want Rob to go, he would feel sad all day if he left on such a cold note. Rob would feel sad too, he hated the hurt he'd be causing. Rob decided it was fine to give in just this once.

"Fine then, but I won't stay for very long." Rob's voice was quiet as he spoke. Gumball's face lit up as he led him to the kitchen. Rob stayed and hung out with Gumball late into the morning. By the time everyone was up, Rob had completely lost track of the hours. He ended up staying until late in the afternoon, when he and Gumball got carried away watching movies and taking up the entire couch. Everyone else was doing their own thing, so they had a little bit of privacy. Gumball looked up at Rob, who didn't seem to notice at all.

"Hey..." Gumball started, fidgeting with his hands nervously. Rob looked over at him. "You're acting weird. Did I do something wrong?" He asks. Rob thought about how he should respond. He could lie and pretend everything was fine, or he could be honest. Honesty might be better, letting a problem sit and become worse never worked. He decided he shouldn't put it off, he needed to talk with Gumball.

"You didn't do anything wrong really, it's just that I didn't expect us to go this far. In middle school we had our petty fights and arguments, we also had very serious fights too, but I expected a friendship to never even work out." Gumball listened as Rob explained. He wasn't sure how to approach his problems, so he decided to just put it all out as honestly as possible. It was like ripping off a band-aid. "I'm scared, I'm nervous, and I'm unsure. It's clear you like me more than you should, Gumball. After so much time spent hating you, blaming you, hurting you, these changes are weird. You like me and I've hurt you so much, it feels wrong."

"Oh, dude you should've just said so earlier." Gumball didn't even wait to respond. Rob was ready for a harsh or sad response, but Gumball took it really well. "I don't think it's wrong, everything's in the past now, but I don't wanna force you to be anything to me, even a friend." Gumball's caring nature was coming out. He'd always cared for his friends, it made up for all the bad parts of him. There weren't many.

"Wow, you took that a lot better than I expected." Rob smiled at Gumball, something he didn't get to see very often.

"I mean, setting boundaries is pretty important. I'll back off." Gumball was really understanding, and it didn't shock Rob too much really. Gumball was pretty mature with relationships, he and Penny had a healthy one and ended on a good note. Now he was willingly communicating with Rob, and everything felt fine again. Gumball really did get it, he was a little sad but he knew this was best if it made Rob feel better.

It just had to come naturally. Gumball was willing to wait.


	13. Last practices (Dream worlds #4)

Gumball and Rob had finished revising their script a week or so before the final few days of practice. It felt like barely any time had passed, and everyone was nervous, including Gumball. He and Rob decided to tell Mr Small about the script revisions. It was too late for him to be upset about it now. "Mr Small, we took matters into our own hands and rewrote the characters to better reflect our school spirit and a healthy relationship." Gumball said in a very matter of fact tone. He felt so bold right now. Steve was a little hesitant, but he took the scripts they'd wrote on, reading over them.

"These are..." He sounded a little nervous, a little stutter here and there. There was an unreadable expression on his face, but he soon broke into a smile. "Great! You boys sure know how to get to the point and do things all on your own. I approve this! As long as you can memorize all of it before next week, it'll be fine. I imagine you boys have it all planned out, I'm not worried at all." There was sweat on his forehead and his smile seemed forced. He was very worried about something, even if it wasn't them. Gumball and Rob went back to their usual corner, where Julius glared at them from the other side of the room. Gumball felt brave right now, so he turned to Julius as they headed back toward their seats and threw the finger up at him. Julius stood up, being held back by a couple students who were with him. He couldn't do anything even if he wanted to, Small was there to protect them. Steve was of course a bit terrified of those kids, but he would stick up for a student no matter what. He would probably even stick up for Julius if he ever got in trouble, he was just that kind of guy. He had a heart of gold even if he was a little weird.

"Well, we better start practicing." Rob said, sitting in his chair. He skimmed over their newly edited scripts, feeling determined. That play practice was full of the two tripping over each other and awkwardly saying their lines. It was hard when they genuinely felt some of these things for each other. Gumball giggled every time they messed up, he seemed to be having a lot of fun and that was what made all of this so much easier. Rob felt comfortable when Gumball felt comfortable. By the end of, the two went their separate ways. That evening, however, they would meet up again. Gumball was fast asleep, back in his magnificent world of his own. He was in his safe bubble, a stagnant, small, unchanging place for him to relax if he felt too overwhelmed. Within minutes of him arriving, a door appeared. Rob was coming to see him. Before he knew it, the cute blue cyclops he only knew in his dreams entered.

"Rob!" Gumball shouted happily, hurrying over to him. "You haven't come here in awhile. What's wrong?" Gumball asked, assuming Rob must need some sort of help if he was here.

"Nothing is wrong really, but have you noticed that Mr Small is acting weird?" Rob asked, leaning against the door he'd created.

"Kinda, but he's always weird, what's changed?" Gumball said with a shrug and a small laugh.

Rob shrugged. "He's just being weirder. I think something is bothering him. I watched him shake so bad he spilled his coffee yesterday morning. He was leaving Principal Brown's office."

"Principal Brown can make anyone shake like that nowadays. I never thought he could be scary until this year, guess managing high schoolers is harder than he thought after running a middle school for so long." Gumball looked confused.

"Yeah, students maybe, but not teachers. I just thought we should get in some extra practice because, I have a theory." Gumball looked at Rob with wide eyes, intrigued. Rob continued speaking. "I think his club is in danger. I think it'll get shut down by the higher ups if we don't do a good job. Think about it, the way he's acting, the way the others treat him, the fact this club is the only non academic related club... It all adds up!" Gumball nods enthusiastically.

"Yeah! That must be it, wow! You really have it all figured out. Alright, well we don't exactly have the scripts here, so we should find a time to meet up again." Gumball suggested as Rob sat on the grass. He looked up at that beautiful, artificial sky. Even if it was completely fabricated from memories of good days, it was still so beautiful. After a few minutes of silence, Gumball joined him.

"Isn't it funny how comfortable it is here? It could be raining outside. Someone could be breaking into your house right now. You'd never know because you'd be locked in this place. What if you never woke up?" Rob was just speaking aloud.

"That doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but I think I get it. I don't think I'd mind if I just couldn't leave one day, but I'd never let that happen voluntarily." The two went silent again, feeling the soft breeze and the warm air around them. "Hey, remember when you said you didn't want me to get too close? That you're a.. flower from hell?" Gumball asked, turning to face Rob.

Rob stared up at the sky still. "Yeah. What of it?"

"I think you're a really nice flower. I think... I'm more of a flower from hell than you. Sometimes, I feel completely evil. It makes it really hard to like myself." Gumball opened up. He decided now was a better time than ever.

"I say a lot of things I don't mean. I don't mind how close we've been really. Also, I don't think you're anywhere close to evil, Gumball. We all make mistakes and sometimes we make more than others. What matters is that you know how to learn from them. Neither of us are evil really... I feel like a bad person but I like to remember that bad people don't care if they're bad or not." His words made Gumball feel a little better, that was true. He knew he'd made mistakes and he needed to grow from them instead of feel bad they happened.

"Yeah. I guess it's just another learning experience." Gumball says with a sigh. He looked back up at the clear sky. Before long, both boys were awake again. It was time for more practice, to make Mr Small proud.


	14. Making Mr Small Proud

"Alright, the final performance is this week, meaning we will be having a few full rehearsals soon! Please do your best." Mr Small announced as drama kids filled the room. The bell had barely just rung and almost everyone was present. Most students looked nervous, Julius glared at Gumball and Rob, Mr Small was sweating. Gumball was quick to pull Rob up from his chair and begin practice. He was eager to start, keeping a very optimistic attitude about this play. He was a little scared, but this felt so romantic! He and Rob, on the stage together, acting as lovers!

"Have you ever noticed how these characters are written exactly like us? Like, even from the beginning!" Gumball said with a big smile on his face. "Maybe not personality wise, but they were in the same situation! Shared dreams.." Gumball sounded really excited as he held onto Rob. Rob smiled at him, and the two began practice without another word. Steve rested his cheek in his palm, watching the two. He felt like they were great picks, he was sure they could save his show if nobody else. Everyone was a pretty beginner actor, but Gumball and Rob were the only ones with that enthusiastic spirit. He let out a stressed sigh, turning his gaze to Penny and Rachel. They were laughing together, taking turns viewing one copy of their script. Penny occasionally looked over at Rachel with this loving look in her eyes. Steve smiled. There was love blossoming all around him. There was enthusiasm, joy, and even some sadness. He looked over at Julius, who actually had his gaze turned away from Gumball and Rob. He was hanging out with Darwin, Clare, and Jared. Even the saddest of them all was having a good time. This play may have sucked ass, but at least kids had time to bond and be themselves. Steve Small loved to see it.

Meanwhile, Gumball and Rob were still tripping over each other occasionally while practicing. They would get real close, really working to sell the act. It was easy for Gumball, who had the most massive crush on Rob. It wasn't as easy for Rob, who was still insecure about his sexuality, but he pushed aside his worries for Gumball. At one point, while the two were practicing, Gumball got up in Rob's face. He gave him a look Rob had never seen before, it was soft and gentle, only lasting for a second or two. It made Rob wonder just how happy he was with his decision to make Gumball back off romantically pursuing him. Of course, Gumball was trying his best and Rob could tell.

Practice was long that day. People were preparing costumes and makeup already for the full show. That week, there were a few full rehearsals, and the show looked promising. It was time to make Mr Small proud, everyone else's performances were alright but Gumball and Rob had big plans. They'd be the stars, no doubt.

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is super different from my other stories, but I hope you stick around. I promise it'll get a lot better.


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